Starting chemo August 2014
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ladyb - after all that I'm glad to hear they finally agreed on the port. It's a shame you has to go through all this first but just know next time will be easier.
I took my Decadron this morning and have been a chatterbox all day lol. I'll take my 2nd dose after dinner and I'm afraid I'm going to have a hard time sleeping tonight. I'm feeling a bit wired!
Welcome Tabby
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Wizard50, I had my Decadron this morning and I am still going. My poor daughter had to listen to me just go like energizer bunny on so many different topics. I alted in the middle of a sentence after talking for almost 30 mins and told her "Boy I feel sorry for you". She laughed and said me too -- LOL. But through it all she just sat back listened, engaged and cuddle under me it was so awesome. With that said this afternoon I was on fire on my conference calls and closed quite a few things with ease and pounded out a lot of work. Can I say accomplished!
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All,
I just wanted to drop in and say hello! Every year at this time I think about breastcancer.org and how much it helped me through my chemo when I started in August of 2010. Just wanted to say I am thinking about you and I hope for uneventful treatments for everyone. I know how very scary it can be, but I also know that things are REALLY good on the other side. Hang in there, hang onto each other, and you will get through it. The week after chemo was not so good...but those golden weeks in between were great.
There will be good days and bad days, but keep pushing forward...it is worth it. You will get your life back, you will one day feel like yourself again, and you will eventually go through periods of time when you will not even think about this chapter in your lives. It does happen!
Check out the Success Stories! thread. It gave me hope on those days when I felt like I could not go on. I am not on the boards much these days (my husband said I had been OBSESSED when I was going through it), but I want you to know that there are tons of people out there thinking of you and holding you up!
Big hugs,
Michelle
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End of evening update: So far, I have
1) a massive headache -- which I have been combating with Ibprofen and tylenol,
2) Can smell everything -- not sure how to combat that I can't find a clothes pen to plug my nose or something to stuff in my nostrils (Kleenx just did not look appealing sticking out of my nose and my grandkids were like eewww -- big smile
3) I am tired but extermely wired and I haven't been able to take a nap - nurse indicated I couldn't take anything to help me sleep tonight but maybe tomorrow....ewww. Can't wait to see how I do at work after popping my next Decardon -- watch out work world.
4) I am not sure if I am actually feeling nausea yet or just need to eat now.
5) Me and my bathroom (who I will loveingly refer to as Jim) have been really good friends today. I guess too much water and the IVs today. So I visited the "Jim" several times today -- this not an Angie original saw the quote a few times on FB and loved it.
6) Trying to stay a head of the constipation with prune juice (which I love) - so I will difinetly have a few "Jim" visits tomorrow Whixh I truly hope will not be to much of a work out -- TMI?
In summary I just fell wierd but not bad. Which is a good thing at this point. Hopefully I can report day 2 a success especially since I plan on working tomorrow. Time to go to sleep so I can get a minimum of 10 hours.
My attempt at a Lucy August 6 2014 episode:
Fred - Lucy (Angie) how do you feel.
Lucy - Well Fried I am glad you asked that. I feel wierd like a truck ran over me but a pretty truck -- I just don't know.
Ethel - Lucy wierd description. I am not surprised.
Ricky -- ?????
I am not sure of Ricky's response or if I got the characters right -- Sandy / Ladies will need your help on this one :-).
Sandy thanks for bringing I Love Lucy into this thread (big smile).
Hugs to all and wanted to add my attempt at humor -- big smile. Hope it didn't fall to flat :-).
-Angie
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I want to thank the women who posted details of first infusion. It's been confirmed that Friday a.m. is a GO for my first treatment. I do not have a port ( at Drs recommendation) and I never really had a problem to date with finding my veins. Let's pray that continues to be the case. Sorry to hear even with port that some had discomfort. The steroids sound interesting! Maybe I should plan on doing a bunch of stuff after work tmrw since I know I'm going to have the energy. I too love Lucy....
I hope that you all have many more good days then off days.
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I am going to post mine and then go back and read what you all wrote since this morning, so i hope I am not off the current topic too much.
First of all, to those of you getting ports;
I was wandering around the discussion boards looking for what people said about ports. I found a thread started in 2007 and ending in 2011. It was a bunch of stories I won't share because they weren't people jumping for joy by any means, by every last ended, "but I am so glad I got it, it was totally worth it".
Drinking the contrast for the CT scans on an empty stomach was seriously nasty, my allergies make me queasy in the morning already. I think Lucy might have tried to add chocolate syrup or mix it into oatmeal.
The contrast is rumored to be constipating, but that was not my issue. the MRI after the CT scans had a little extra frission from worrying that I was not going to make it through without an emergency bathroom break. I did get an answer to my son's question whether the contrast would glow in the toilet. Sadly, no. Lucy would have been disappointed too.
I got some of the test results back from last week's tests and aside from being overweight and having cancer, I am fairly healthy.
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Side effects so far from first round Aug. 5
Someone said they felt weird. That is a good description. I know that there is something roaming round my body that is not supposed to be there. But my situation is different and I hope I don't drive you nuts with it. My MS cannot be ignored. Many of the side effects listed for the chemo are the same as many of my MS symptoms. Fatigue, neuropathy, dizzyness, headaches, muscle/joint pain...I could go on. This is good and bad. I can't tell which is which. I also have gotten pretty good at dealing with them. I've had a lot of practice, 15-20 years. Kind of not fair but I know you won't think that. I do sometimes, though, and feel bad for you guys with no practice.
So far, I have not had the dreaded ones, nausea or diarrhea. My worst fear is D because MS (TMI) causes lack of bowel control at times. I also had a huge scare from my insurance and hospital statements with big charges showing but made a few phone calls this morning and feel much better about that. The built up anxiety over everything ramped that up way out of proportion and caused even less sleep than the steroids. I feel ok but not hungry at all and have the dry mouth and mouth tasting like a sewer, making eating harder. I only weighed 110 at the doctor Tues. and they don't like that. I used to weigh as much as 165 10 years ago but due to dietary restrictions I use to control various symptoms, I'm much thinner now. Makes needle jabs harder but finding lymph nodes easier.
I think I'm doing pretty well considering. Right this minute, my biggest symptom is feeling shaky but that could be left over from the steroids.
Hope your day is good and uneventful, especially wizard and random. We'll get through this together.
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hi all,
Congrats to you who have made it through your first treatment. I called my MO's assistant Monday morning to see if we are still a go for the 20th, to make appt for clinic on the same day (BS and MO), to make sure my ins. Pre-auth is taken care of, and the resukts of my echo from last week. Called again this morning (Thursday) and left another message. Called the front desk of the breast center and talked to a med assistant there who is sending messages to the. Rn for echo results and the person who is covering for the most asst. Frustrating! Not too happy with the responsiveness. I am anxious to know for sure when things are happening since I don't live in San Francisco (where treatment is happening) full time. I'm also really anxious about the babies this week. Not sure how or if we'll all get through it.
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I start chemo August 13. I thought I was prepared, but after reading through 20 pages of information , most of which is qualified with "you may experience," "some patients find," "depends on your health and the kind of chemotherapy you get..." I am feeling despondent. So: Carboplatin (Paraplatin), Docetaxel (Taxpotere), and maybe Herceptin at the same time. I have a chest port which I have not adjusted to yet. It was used once to take blood for a MUGA (heart) test. I passed out, then threw up (because I looked at the blood? Dunno.) Off to a good start!
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Mullerin - Hang in there! You and I are slated to start the same day. I am doing the same meds as well so we can keep each other (and everyone else) updated on SE's. I am hoping for minimal but I guess time will tell.
I had a port put in about 4 weeks ago. Still getting use to it but there are definitely times I forget I have one. Been able to work out with it so that made me happy. Still feels odd to me though so I get where you are coming from. I am not looking forward to the nurses accessing the port but I guess I will just have to suck it up and hope I don't freak out.
If it helps I have read way too much over the past few days and now my anxiety is creeping up. Everyone tells me to stay off Dr. Google, but it is really hard for me not to look things up. Every ache and pain I freak out over and think the worse. For example, I had an ultra sound done of my right armpit for my lymph nodes. They were clean but just yesterday I felt a pain in that armpit and my thoughts immediately went to oh no, the cancer is effecting my lymph nodes now! And then I start to freak out (still am honestly) that if the lymph node is really swollen due to the cancer than crap this stuff is really spreading quickly....keep in mind my ultrasound was two weeks ago. So I have been doing nothing but researching how fast cancer spreads. I do not even know if what I am feeling is a simply ingrown hair from shaving or a cut, but I am freaking out. I finally just took a depth breath and said to myself stay off the internet!
Gatomal - sorry to hear you are dealing with noone retunring your calls. I am sure that is very frustrating! Stay positive - you and those babies will get through this! We are all here for you. I just read an article on the breast cancer facebook page about a woman who was pregnant and going through chemo and the baby is fine and healthy. I thought of you and even though I do not know you personal I have complete faith and hope you and those babies will do fine :-)
For those ladies that had their first treatment today - hoping it was not too bad and that your side effects are minimal. Postive thoughts to all!
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thanks oceanbreeze1818, I felt the same way re: nodes! Also my chest hurt and I thought it was a positive node there, but then tried to calm myself by saying the chest hurt from the pressure of the probe during the echo, and the nodes hurt from the ultrasound and also the deep palpating by three docs. It went away, but I am still nervous about nodal involvement, since we can't do a surgical biopsy until I get further along in my pregnancy. By then, if the chemo is working, I won't know for sure if nodes were or weren't involved, so I won't be able to gauge my true prognosis percentage, but maybe that's a good thing. The thought of 70% vs 93% is just scary, but those are just averages. Only 1 in 3000 get dx with breast ca pregnant, and I am that one, so the percentages can really only be a guide, not a guarantee. Nurses called back, echo was fine, trying to schedule my one on one chemo class.
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Chemo is so boring! I am too tired to read or enjoy my games on my tablet because the steroids kept me from sleeping last night and I still can't sleep. 3 hours done and 2 left.
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Random: I'm bringing a chatty friend to entertain me! Hope she doesn't drive me crazy instead!!! LOL
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1st Gemzar infusion a few hours ago...feel better than I thought I would, but I've been warned that it catches up with a body by the 3rd cycle, and then I'll be experiencing the side effects. Fatigue, nausea, possible leg swelling, reddening, and headaches.
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Sorry I'm a little late responding to everyone who welcomed me here. It is an awesome group! I'm thinking of everyone, especially those whose treatment has already started this month. Thanks for paving the way and sharing how you're doing.
Ladyb, I hope you are feeling okay. And what can I say about your Lucy episode - brilliant!
Randomchance, hope you are doing well today. Thanks for the info on the port. I have finally stopped second guessing myself about getting one. My (grown!) kids were fascinated when my pee turned cobalt blue from the injections prior to the sentinel node surgery. Love your sense of humor and am still cracking up over your comment that if we have to lose our hair then we better not need to shave our legs! I hope the hairs that have set up shop on my chin recently will also go away.
Jaycee49, you have a lot to deal with. Thanks for taking the time to write such a thorough description. Since my diagnosis, I too have been all about the questions. My medical team has appreciated that I've done my homework and been prepared to ask questions.
Tabbygirl, love the kitty picture. I have a tabby who rules my house. Loved your comment about the Lucy antics and the comment about the Norma Desmond look of the turban!
DonnaNJ and Mommiemichelle, thanks for the encouragement to stay positive. I needed that today.
I am still in waiting mode for a date to start. What is holding things up is that my cardio consult isn't until the 18th, haven't been able to get an earlier appointment. We're trying to figure out if the MO will okay me to start chemo before that. I don't have a history of heart issues but something minor was noticed on my echocardiogram and I may go on a medication to protect my heart while taking Herceptin. I've tried to stay positive but for the last two days I have shed a lot of tears and feeling like I'm unable to really plan my schedule. It is stressful to be in the waiting game - again. Not easy for those of us who like to be in control, or at least have the illusion that we are!
Hugs to all of you.
Sandy
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Thank you for the welcomes! I am home from my port installation, parked out in my backyard. The placement went really well. I got a Power Port. Haven't read the brochure yet as the images freak me out a little.
. I will get there. I, too, read some unnerving posts from those who had a less good experience, but luckily did not see them until this afternoon! I was sad to see that they sometimes are a bit of a burden; everyone in my surgeon's office swore they'd seen a million of them, and only one actual complication. I have some bruising and things are tender but no biggie at all. So there is some encouragement for others
Thank you to everyone who is detailing their chemo experiences in such great detail. I am starting next Friday and will share, too. Good luck to us all! It is wonderful to have this way to support each other. I am looking forward to getting to know you all. I am still digesting individual info but I send good wishes to those having a rough time right now.
Sandy, I have an inherited tabby in my lap right now! Some neighbors moved and left her for us. She has a nice home on our deck but she will move inside one day to join the others. I swear I am a tabby magnet. I love their markings.
All right! Here comes hubby with a plate of spaghetti for me. Good night, all!
Angela
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Good evening ladies,
First round of chemo done and over with and so far so good. It was a long day though (infusion took 6.5 hours) and yesterday's Decadron kept me up until almost 4 am this morning. I'm exhausted but still feel too wired to sleep. First bag was Decadron and Zofran & second bag was Emend. Third bag Herceptin which was uneventful. Fourth bag was Taxotere and that's when I had a reaction. I started feeling my heartbeat in my chest and then started developing back spasms that radiated to my hips. The nurse stopped the meds and gave me a saline drip to flush the meds. Once the spasms subsided she slowed down the drip and then I was ok. Taxotere should have taken an hour but took 2.5 hours
Final med was Carboplatin with no reaction. My back is slightly achy still but overall feel ok for now.Ladyb - how are you feeling on day 2. Yesterday you mentioned you felt weird. That'd kind of how I feel, weird and head kind of fuzzy.
Random - thinking about you and hope your first round went well today. I agree, chemo is boring. My daughter and boyfriend were with me and I told them they were supposed to entertain me, which they did at times, but they spent a lot of time in their own little worlds. It was interesting talking to other people though and hearing their stories.
Gatamol - hopefully you received return calls and got some answers today. We all know how frustrating that can be. I think about you and your babies often. Stay strong and positive
Good luck to Donna, Bippy and Catie who start chemo tomorrow. Sending positive thoughts and hugs.
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Tabby - I got the Power Port too a little over 2 weeks ago. It felt strange for about 7-9 days, especially the neck incision. The skin on my chest is still super sensitive from my mastectomy so sometimes what I think is port discomfort is actually the skin sensitivity. I had my first chemo today and was very happy that I had the port. Be sure to ask for Emla which is a prescription numbing cream you apply an hour before chemo. It works and you shouldn't feel a thing.
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so appreciate the info about how everyone is tolerating the first rounds of chemo. Tabby girl, glad your port experience went well...hope it continues to heal just fine. I go in for my port on Monday in prep for first round of AC on Thursday.
Sending healing thoughts to those of you who have first round tomorrow! Let's kick cancer's arse!
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Thank you everyone for the positive thoughts and good wishes! I was up way too late last night, texting an old friend, then spent the entire day at Six Flags Amusement Park. I am so exhausted the steroids can't touch me! My son, on the other hand has insomnia tonight and doesn't like to be the last in the house to fall asleep. He's eleven. He made me sign a contract a few years ago promising him I'd wait for him to fall asleep before I do. Hasn't always been so easy, but I do try! After a full day walking, waiting, riding in the heat, you'd think he'd have fallen asleep at eight! I spent the day seeking the small patches of shade, no longer a fan of rides of any kind. I am all packed and ready for tomorrow. My husband is setting me up and a friend is joining me later. Actually think I would have liked the peace and quiet alone, but everyone is so supportive and kind. I hope everyone is feeling well and has a better day tomorrow...even if today was terrific! I will keep you posted about my Day 1...getting closer to the end!!!! LOL Goodnight!
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dear DonnaNJ
I am starting tmrw morning also with TC, will let everyone know how my veins hold up. My son came home just to keep me company during first couple of infusions. Hope you treatment is uneventful and all goes smoothly for you. I have my snacks, water, book, puzzle, sweater and anything else I will think of last minute to be comfortable and keep myself busy. Oh yes and will have my son to chat with.
Catie57
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i have a question. I have panic disorder and am having to take steroids now to recover from sweets syndrome. They drive me nuts and put me very much on edge even with my anxiety meds. I'm afraid w i start chemo it may be unbearable. Any secrets on managing the hyper/ anxious feeling?
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Wizard, thanks for your insight about the port! I think the discomfort I feel right now (minor) is really muscle pain from being yanked around in the OR. It's opposite my mx site so luckily that isn't complicating things. I do have a scrip for the Emla cream - glad to hear it really does help. So grateful for all this info; I am getting calmer all the time. We can do this.
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Count.breathe. tell the nurse when you feel out of control
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That is great advice. I tend toward anxiety at times and I will definitely need to BREATHE.
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So much for being exhausted! I have really bad heartburn. I always take two tums and it magically disappears...no such luck. I just took a generic Pepcid, it's what we had. Is the steroid the cause of heartburn? I'm burping a lot also. I also have a little headache. Thinking the amusement park was a bad idea! Not sure if my body is reacting to over exercise in the heat and stress of hating it so much, also the constant diet coke refills. My mind is racing so I just lost an hour of sleep, going to try again! What's the purpose of the steroids? Hope you are all resting! Goodnight again!
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Hi! I just had my first treatment 8/6 TCH. So far, I'm good. Except that the dexamethasone is keeping me up. Lunesta wore off too soon apparently. No nausea yet. I went to work the day after treatment and just got tired around 3pm. Nice to be in a group where we can all share.
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I have had killer heartburn and belching after the steroids too, except when I only ate oatmeal. My usual bland is too acidy, I guess. Also, only sleeping in 45 minute chunks.
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First morning after chemo and I feel ok so far. The night before chemo the Dexamethasone kept me awake until 4am so I'm thrilled that I was able to sleep last night. Just took my day after Dexa and MO gave me a script for Ambien to take as needed but I'm nervous to take it. My mom used to have weird hallucinations when she took it. I am feeling shaky this morning and gassy and a bit crampy. Thank good no nausea!
Tabby - you're welcome on the port info. My port is also on the non-cancer side and I'm so happy to have it.
Randomchance and Donna - hoping you both find relief for your heartburn.
Thinking of you all and happy Friday!
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And I'm off! Two hours in. Port access was a small pinch, no big deal! They gave me two Tylenol and Pre Meds included Benadryl and anti nausea Meds. Now I'm half way through ninety minutes of Herceptin. The Benadryl made me sleepy but my friend was here chit chatting and I didn't want to snooze on her! Now I'm wide awake and hungry, she just ran out to bring me a surprise lunch. Taxotere next. This place is packed! Every seat taken. I'm at a Regional Cancer Center in Freehold, people here are for all types of care. I am the youngest here by far! I think I'm here til four....almost half way there! I hope Bippy and Catie you are both doing as well! And Elizabeth, Ladyb, Jaycee, Randomchance and Wizard my fingers crossed you are all SE free!!!!! Hugs to all!
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